Yule Spirit Not as Bright on Hollywood Boulevard

Tomorrow may be Christmas Day, but you wouldn't know it from looking at Hollywood Boulevard.

For the first time in recent years, there are no Christmas decorations on the boulevard and some merchants and residents are not pleased.

"I look outside and there's nothing to remind you of the season. It's a big letdown," said Zena Marks, who helps manage the Legends of Hollywood Deli. "And it doesn't help business, either."

Bill Welsh, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which has been responsible for putting up Christmas decorations, said he has been hearing the criticism for weeks "but the disappointing fact is we're short of the necessary funds."

The chamber's decorations are so old that they are no longer safe and it will cost between $50,000 and $80,000 to replace, Welsh said.

"Last year we were lucky in that Warner Bros. was filming a movie that called for Christmas decorations, and when they paid to have them installed in September we were able to leave them up until the first of the year. But those decorations have had it as far as future use," he said.

John Tillman, a vice president at KTTV-Channel 11, will direct a fund-raising campaign early next year for new decorations.